America's story is written in song. It's in the syrupy vocals of a gospel choir, in the twang of a banjo, in the beat of a powwow drum.
Almost every popular music genre you can think of has US roots. The blues rose from the cotton fields of the South, born of African spirituals and the work songs sung by enslaved peoples. Jazz grew in New Orleans, hewn from the Afro and Caribbean rhythms played in Congo Square. House music burst from the warehouse clubs of Chicago, and country grew in the green mountains of Appalachia. And long before European settlers arrived, Indigenous Peoples used music to tell stories of creation, migration and the land. The USA's icons are too numerous to count: Otis Redding, Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, Dolly Parton…
The country's musical footprint continues to grow, too. Beyoncé just became the first Black woman to top Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, while the gig-tripping trend (combining concerts with travel) has fans crossing oceans to see megastars like Taylor Swift.
There are endless ways to tune into the USA's ongoing soundtrack today. Live venues range from rickety juke joints swollen with the blues to epic arenas fit for the world's musical heavyweights. Museums are filled with instruments and iconic memorabilia, and preserved studios mean you can walk in the footsteps of legends. To find the best ways to hear the sounds of the States, we spoke to expert locals in the USA's top musical destinations. Lend us your ears and discover them for yourself.
Wendell Brunious on: New Orleans jazz
“New Orleans was once one of the world's busiest port cities, attracting people from countries such as France, Spain, Italy, the Philippines, Cuba and Mexico. Enslaved peoples from Africa were also brought here. And out of that variegated culture, jazz was born. It was influenced by classical and march music from Europe, and then later combined with African rhythms.
Blues, gospel, society music, African beats, marching music and ragtime are ever-present too. New Orleans’ music scene reflects the soul of its people and its ancestors.
Louis Armstrong (aka Satchmo) put jazz on the world stage, and we honour him everywhere here – there's even a bronze statue of him in Louis Armstrong Park. There's also the Satchmo Summer Fest at the New Orleans Jazz Museum every year in early August. The Jazz Museum is a special place, and we have such a rich history of music that its exhibitions change constantly.
Preservation Hall, in a historic French Quarter building, is the greatest place for live jazz. We play up front and there's no ‘stage’ per se; it's meant to be an intimate and collective gathering celebrating jazz. I would also pay a visit to The Palm Court Jazz Café (French Quarter) and Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro (Faubourg Marigny). Then take a walk down Bourbon Street or Frenchmen Street, or visit Jackson Square. It's difficult to hear bad music in New Orleans!”
Wendell Brunious is a jazz trumpeter and the musical director at Preservation Hall, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Zia McCabe on: Rebels and rockers in Portland, Oregon
“What really makes Portland's music scene unique is that it's heavily DIY. My family was part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1804. It wasn't easy for them to get to the Pacific Northwest; the people who made it here were rugged individualists. That mentality remains today. We're all just a bunch of pirates and adventurers; except now, we're making music instead
